Tehran, Iran (CNN) -- Mourners paid respect Thursday to victims of a government crackdown in Iran following last year's disputed presidential elections, as security forces kept a close watch.

It was the last Thursday before the start of the Persian new year, a day on which Iranians traditionally visit the grave sites of loved ones.

At the Beheshteh Zara cemetery in southern Tehran, the mourners included several who paid respects to Neda Soltan, a 26-year-old woman whose death last year became emblematic of a harsh government response to protests that followed the June 12 vote.

Soltan became known simply as "Neda" after a video camera captured her final moments on June 20; she was shot to death during a post-election protest.

Iran has been wracked by anti-government demonstrations since the disputed presidential vote resulted in hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election.